LaLa Lady Red
by Lexicer
Summary: An average Bowdam evening with a Lady Red twist. SnowxLightning


_A challenge fic provided by Riaeth during one of my I-need-to-write-a-LightningxSnow-fic-now episodes. The challenge? Red, heat, under 2000 words, and NORA's cafe. So here's the result! She also wrote a story for it, and she might post it up. Cross your fingers, kids, 'cause it's awesome. _:P_ I hope you enjoy this random story as much as I do!_

I don't own...aw, whatever. SE probably doesn't even check this stuff.

La-La Lady Red

"Nice nails."

I glanced up to see Snow towering over me dressed casually in nothing but a loose white t-shirt and a pair of khaki cargo shorts, his hands resting in the pockets. His comment was referring to my shiny, moist, red fingernails which lay flat on the frosted glass table.

"Thanks," I replied dryly, carefully pushing my hair out of my face; the warm Bowdam breeze kept throwing it wildly in my face, tickling me irritatingly. I glimpsed at the smirking man and said, "You can sit if you want to."

He shrugged and collapsed into the white iron chair across from me. We were sitting on the back porch since it was too nice an evening to stay inside, especially compared to the blistering hot afternoon earlier that day; the cooler breeze was a welcomed change.

Pointing a finger towards my spread hands, Snow asked over the neighbor's abundant wind-chime collection, "So what's the occasion? Are you going somewhere tonight?"

I looked down at my current apparel: a loose blue t-shirt, frayed, knee-length shorts, and bare feet. And I know for a fact that I wasn't wearing make-up. I stared at him skeptically. "Do I honestly look like I'm dolled-up to go anywhere?" I asked before rolling my eyes. "Vanille and Fang dragged me shopping today, and when I refused to buy a dress, they forced this on me instead." I nodded towards the red bottle before continuing. "I was bored, so I tried it out, just for kicks and giggles."

He snickered and picked up the cherry red bottle of nail polish. "Fair enough," he said, examining the bottle, turning it this way and that. When he looked at the bottom of the bottle, his eyes widened and he burst into laughter.

"What?" I asked, confused and slightly annoyed. Whatever he was laughing at, I was sure it would turn out as an insult towards me.

He looked at the bottle for a few more seconds, grinning widely, before holding the base of the bottle towards me. "'La-La Lady Red'?" he asked, holding back another chuckle. "Cute, Lightning. I should start calling you that. La-La Lady Lightning. It's got a nice ring to it!"

I quickly snatched the bottle from him. "Shut up. Vanille picked it out, not me." I checked my nails to make sure that they were still impeccable before blowing on them in hopes of quickening the drying process. "And if you call me that, I'll kick your ass."

"You kick my ass anyway," he pointed out.

"Well, harder then," I said.

He grinned and we fell silent once more, the wind quietly moaning around us and the neighbor's tinkling chimes following suit. The air had taken a slightly chilly turn in the shade the house provided, but it was comfortable compared to the unbearable heat that usually plagued this town's afternoons.

"It's a nice color," Snow said suddenly, nodding at my nails. "It suits you in that strange kind of way."

I glanced at him, confused by his compliment and said, "Thanks...I guess."

He simply nodded and tapped the table to some unknown beat. After a few moments, he said, "So if you're not going anywhere tonight, do you wanna head down to the café for dinner? Lebreaux's working tonight."

I thought about it for a moment, considering my options. It _had_ been a while since we'd eaten there. I could almost feel the sweltering heat from the grill blasting in my face as Lebreaux cooked meat on it, seasoning it perfectly. I did love her cooking.

"And it's half-price," he continued. And I certainly loved a bargain.

"I suppose we could pop down for a bit. Anything Lebreaux makes is certainly better than what I'm capable of," I said, carefully poking my nails. They were hard and dry. "Get your shoes on then."

"Okay!" he said with a grin, springing out of his chair and walking to the door. "I'll grab yours too." I nodded, smirking at his excitement.

He returned a few moments later with his shoes already on his feet, and a pair of sandals in his hand; he plopped the flip-flops on the ground in front of me. "Thanks," I said, slipping my feet into the worn-out shoes. I checked my nails one more time before lifting myself off the chair and walking through the side gate Snow held open.

I knew the walk to the café was a short one from past experiences, but it was enjoyable. Short and sweet.

The breeze was stronger but warmer on the boardwalk; I folded my arms across my chest simply out of habit.

Snow looked up at the pink and red streaked sky as we walked. "It seems like it should be dark already. I mean, it's almost eight."

I shrugged. "Whatever. Darkness is overrated. It's boring."

Snow smirked before pulling my arm away from my chest, and snaking his fingers through mine. "You have an interesting way of looking at things."

Rolling my eyes, I briefly leaned into him as we fell silent once more, letting the waves and wind do the talking for us.

We reached NORA's café, which was quiet after a long business day, a few minutes later. Lebreaux glanced up from cleaning dishes and shot us a happy grin. "Hey you two! Here for dinner?"

"Since I can't cook to save my life, yes, we are definitely here in search of sustenance," I replied, plopping down at the bar.

She laughed and nodded. "Nice." She was about to return to cleaning when she noticed my fingers. "Cool nails! I've never seen yours painted before." She examined them closer before gasping and pointing at my left pinky. "That one's messed up!"

I groaned and brought it to my face, scrutinizing it. There, imprinted in my red polish, were the lines of human hand: no doubt, Snow's hand.

"Damn it, Snow!" Lebreaux exclaimed. "Can't you do anything right?"

He quickly threw his hands in the air. "I didn't mean to! I thought they were dry." Glimpsing at me, he cast his eyes down. "Sorry, Light."

I watched him for a few moments, and then continued staring at my pinky. It was just a pinky, the smallest finger. You could hardly notice it unless you were up close. "It's fine," I assured him. "It's just nail polish." I smiled slyly. "But now, you definitely have to pay for my food."

He grinned and wrapped an arm around me before quickly kissing the top of my head and letting his arm drop once again. "Of course!" He plopped in the seat next to me, and eased into a friendly banter with Lebreaux. I wasn't listening. I was too absorbed in my blemished La-La Lady Red nail polish. Sure, I could paint over the marks, and it would look like new. But I quite liked knowing that Snow had left an impression on me, a little piece of him to carry with me whenever I lost my way.

My pinky was once perfect, but also boring. The chaos of the imprinted nail polish, like the pink-streaked sky, was more beautiful than the plain hard surface of a normal shiny Lady Red nail or the darkness that was now swallowing the sky.

Chaos and imperfection were fine, even great.

Snow helped me see that.

**THE END**

_This story was supposed to represent what I think Snow and Lightning would have been like if they were just a normal couple. _:[ _Damn you, SE! *sigh* I'll just keep pumping out stories like this to ease my addiction to these two. _:P _Please review! Constructive criticism i_s_ the NECTAR OF THE GODS! _:D _Thanks so much for reading!_

_Lexicer.  
_


End file.
